Brussels, 21/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - As we indicated yesterday, the Agriculture Ministers took advantage of their public debate on food safety to insist on the need to establish a transparent and effective procedure for the scientific assessment of risks linked to food.
Commissioner David Byrne underlined the value of the development of a true culture of health protection. He called for a rigorous enforcement of Community law by the Member States, industry and the farmers as well as for the proper information to consumers, based on high-level scientific assessment. Mr Byrne reaffirmed that bovine encephalopathy spongiform (BSE) knows no boundaries and that the most suitable level to bring remedy to its is that of the EU.
The Ministers from Portugal Luis Capoulas Santos, Germany Karl-Heinz Kfunke, Austria Wilhelm Moltrer, Greece Georgios Anomeritis and others called for the establishment of a European Food Authority that is both effective, open and transparent. The Finnish Minister Alevi Hemila reaffirms that health protection must be the first priority and brought his support to the move and proposals from the Commission. He recalled that his country is a candidate to host the seat of the future Authority. The British Minister Nick Brown agreed with the Commission for greater coherence in the measures taken to ensure food safety and consumer protection. He approved the establishment of a European Authority to the extent that it is part of a cooperation network with national agencies. The Minister from Luxembourg Ferdnand Boden criticised "the overcautiousness" of those who refuse the attribute to the Authority a true competence for the prevention and management of crisis. He also insisted for the Community implementation of the precautionary principal. The Dutch Minister Jan Brinkhorst said he was concerned over the allocation of competence in the future early warning system. He said that the management of dangers must remain with the Commission and Member States. Sharing the same point of view, the Irish Minister Joe Walsh asserted that only scientific assessment should be the competence of the future Authority. As for the management of risks, "an action at EU level is always preferable". We must not be satisfied with reacting, but also avoiding crisis, said the Italian Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio who added: "The precautionary principal must not only be invoked; it must also be enforced". He underlined that the future culture of food and health safety must not copy the American model to tighten the sterility of products and finish with the destruction of quality and the diversity of food. He recalled the candidacy of Parma to host the future European Authority. While recognising the need for a European Authority and a coherent policy in which the Commission would have a central role to play, the Danish Minister Ritt Bjerrgaard underlined that the Member States have in a way a "competence of full law" in terms of food policy. The Spanish Minister Miguel Arias Canete called for a management of crisis to always be the responsibility of political decision-makers, at the Community and/or national level, as well as for common or equivalent measures. He recalled that his country wants to host the seat of the future Authority. The Belgian Minister Jaak Gabriels called for a strong Food Authority and for harmonised measures that answer the needs of the internal market. The Swedish Minister Margaret Winberg recalled that her country wants to push forward this dossier under its Presidency. Raising the example of Swedish legislation that allowed for the eradication of salmonellas, she said that what matters above all is prevention. She indicated that a major conference on all the aspects linked to safety of the food chain would be organised from next 14 to 16 March in Uppsala. The conclusions will be passed on to the Council. The representative from the French government also insisted on the enforcement of the precautionary principal. She recalled the candidacy of Lille as a seat for the future European Authority.
Answering the concerns of several delegations, Mr Byrne spoke of an "unjustified concern" with regards to the functioning of the early warning system: "there will be not transfers of competence" towards the future Authority, whose role is limited to scientific assessment, he added.
Following this debate, the Council approved its common position on: (1) the regulation concerning the fight against transmissible encephalopathy spongiforms and (2) the modification of the Directive relating to scrappie. The consolidated text is not available in all the languages, the Council should carry out in January its final adoption. The common position includes 35 of the 38 amendments adopted by the European Parliament in first reading.
For the other results of this week's Agriculture Council, see yesterday's bulletin, pages 10 and 11.